The Big Draw LA: Month-Long Celebration of Drawing Returns
Drawing Festival Celebrated by 22 Countries
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The second annual The Big Draw LA event is well underway as a citywide celebration of drawing. The event creates opportunities for people of all ages to discover that drawing can enhance how they see, think and invent. Last year's The Big Draw LA became the first event of its kind on the West Coast. The Big Draw is a worldwide celebration founded in the United Kingdom and joined by Los Angeles and 22 countries internationally. The Big Draw LA is presented by Ryman Arts, an arts education program that fosters the education of gifted young artists in Southern California.
"Drawing is a universal language that connects people of all ages and walks of life," says Diane Brigham, Executive Director of Ryman Arts. "Researchers say the benefits of drawing—for children and adults alike—extend far beyond providing a creative outlet. Participation in the arts can also enhance one's sense of imagination, problem-solving abilities and even tolerance. What's more, The Big Draw LA helps to unite all Angelenos in the joy and satisfaction of creative expression."
More than 60 The Big Draw LA events will take place in October throughout the city, including those presented by the Huntington Library in Pasadena, Santa Monica Museum of Art, the Long Beach Marathon, the Skirball Cultural Center, J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Villa, the North East Los Angeles Art Walk, Downtown Los Angeles and Museum Row along Wilshire Blvd.
Make Your Mark in the Park on October 16
The Ryman Arts' Big Draw LA event, "Make Your Mark in the Park," took place on Sunday, October 16 at noon in Exposition Park. Ryman Arts' students, teaching artists and close to 3,000 people of all ages created a continuous, over half-mile-long drawing on paper that rolled out and wound its way around the park through the Rose Garden and around the Natural History Museum. Kids and toddlers drew next to elaborate renderings by established artists. Free sketchbooks, made by Ryman Arts' alumni and reDiscover (a nonprofit organization that promotes the creative re-use of materials for art projects), were offered to participants. The continuous drawing project was photographed and will be showcased as a "scrolling panorama" online at www.thebigdrawla.org by the end of the month.
A Sketch in Time: Draw with Ryman Arts at Clifton's
In addition to Make Your Mark in the Park, Ryman Arts will present an additional The Big Draw LA event in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, October 22, beginning at 10 a.m. Angelenos are encouraged to bring their sketchbooks and join Ryman Arts' alumni and students as they sketch the unique decor and personalities that make up Clifton's Cafeteria.
Numerous other Los Angeles area organizations are participating with their own The Big Draw LA activities including: The Original Drink and Draw Social Club; Lincoln Heights Branch Public Library; Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences (VAAS); Craft and Folk Art Museum; Gallery Girls; USC Fisher Museum of Art; Craftswoman House; California African American Museum; 24th Street Theatre; El Retiro Library; Teen'Scape, Central Library; Pop tArt Gallery; Ortega High School; JACCC; North Torrance Library; Katy Geissert Civic Center Library; and John Muir High School, Pasadena.
The Big Draw LA is supported by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation.
The Big Draw LA is committed to promoting inclusiveness and offering a diversity of drawing experiences. Following The Big Draw LA, presenting organizations may apply for one of several special awards that honor outstanding The Big Draw LA activities, big and small.
About The Big Draw and The Campaign for Drawing
The Big Draw was started by the Guild of St. George, a nonprofit organization founded by 19th century critic and educator John Ruskin. Now led by the Campaign for Drawing in London, the aim is to raise awareness of drawing's power as a tool for learning, observation, creativity, and social and cultural engagement. In 2010, more than 1,300 Big Draw events took place across the United Kingdom and internationally.
About Ryman Arts
Ryman Arts, a leading art education program in Southern California, is a national model for transforming the lives and futures of young artists. Meeting a vital need to foster the artistic and personal growth of talented high school students, the program provides rigorous sequential instruction in foundational drawing and painting skills, free of charge. Ryman Arts students also build self-discipline and confidence, and receive college/career guidance, helping position them for future success.
Since its inception in 1990, Ryman Arts has grown from a single class for 12 students, to 20 classes year round for 300+ talented high school students, most from low-income neighborhoods. To date, the program has engaged more than 4,000 Southern California teens in its core 18-month program, and provides outreach activities to thousands more students from inner-city schools, ensuring access for students with the greatest need. The program began in honor of legendary Disney artist and mentor Herbert D. Ryman. For more information visit www.ryman.org or call 213-629-2787.
Contact:
Susan Dunn
Dunn Communications
818-762-4708
Photos available upon request.
www.thebigdrawla.org
SOURCE Ryman Arts
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